I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Digi Dave at Sydney Park. We decided to spend the afternoon indulging in some bird photography and I suggested a few venues. One was Sydney Park. Digi had never been there before, so that is where we went. One of my goals was to get better photos of the Lewin’s Rails that live there, and in this I succeeded.
There are lots of nice birds at the park, and here are some – Continue reading
Both Bob and myself had visited much of this area before in search of Aboriginal sites. We had completed a number of trips late last year, but it became too warm during Summer so we held off further trips.
On this occasion we visited some of the sites we had seen previously, and also found some more sites. The wildflowers were also great. Continue reading
My good friend Liz Kabanoff passed away unexpectedly on the night of Tuesday 8th September. I got to know Liz through our mutual interest in studying fungi. Liz had a scientific career as a microscopist at the University of Western Sydney and had not long retired. Retirement meant that she could devote more time to her passions – looking for fungi, orchids and other delights of Nature. She was a very keen observer and talented at being able to spot small and obscure species.
Liz Kabanoff and myself in Birdwood Gully. Photo by Gemma Williams.
I was fortunate to spend many days in the bush with Liz over the past few years. And they were busy days. I like to photograph fungi and orchids and on these trips, Liz would find so much that I would be fully occupied trying to photograph everything and still keep up with her latest finds. Hectic days, but amazingly joyful days – we would share our excitement with finding species unfamiliar to us for the first time. Continue reading
It was a wet morning on the bird survey along the Greenway between Taverners Hill and Hawthorne Light Rail Stations. This results in poor light for photography and a lot of the birds seeking shelter. So not too may photos.
Here is a Red Wattlebird – Continue reading
The evening of 8 September would provide a good opportunity to photograph the International Space Station. In the early evening it was due to pass over Sydney at a maximum inclination of 88°, and its brightness would be magnitude -4.1. At its closest pass over Sydney, when it is straight overhead, its angle would be 90°, so it would be very close to ideal.
For practice, it would also pass over Sydney on the two proceeding evenings, but at lower inclinations. I could use Jupiter to focus on (manual focus). Continue reading
After the Mudlarks Bird Survey, I caught a train to Cheltenham and than set off for a walk down Devlins Ck. On the way, I met up with Bob, who had recently seen some Powerful Owls and their recently fledged owlets. He joined me for the first part fo the walk and showed me their location.
Even though he had seen them the day before hey were difficult to spot. We looked up into the trees along a section of Devlins Creek. After about 20 unites, our persistence paid off. We spotted a parent owl and one of the chicks. Then with a bit more looking, we spotted another parent and chick. Continue reading
I was able to join the Mudlarks for their early morning bird survey along the Cooks River. This month the group survey upstream from Ewen Park to The Boat Harbour, then across the river to Cup and Saucer Creek Wetlands, and down on the true right crossing back over just upstream of Ewen Park (the downstream bridge is being rebuilt). We saw a good range of birds –
Tawny Frogmouths Continue reading
Another very rewarding day spent out on the headland.
My aim was more bird photography, and I was pleased to see an Osprey flying out over the headland – only the second time I had seen these birds out there. On the way out, near Magic Point I was looking for whales, when I saw a few Dolphins swimming north. Then I saw a few more, and a few more. There would have been around 30 of them in the pod – but they were very spread out – taking at least ten minutes for them all to go past. Being so spread out made photography difficult. You would see them jump out of the water, then dive under again and it would be hard to predict where and when they would reappear. A more dense pod would have made this easier. Continue reading
I made a third visit to the Curra Moors. It has been an exceptionally good wildflower season, particularly on the Moors, that a another visit was arranged. This time I visit the area with John, Chuin Nee and their two young boys, Jasper and Sebastian.
Like my previous walks, we repeated the same route – down the track to the fire road, and then along it to the Coastal Track at Eagle Rock, then along the Coastal Track towards Garie and back along the fire road to regain the track. Continue reading
It was time for a bike ride to Barton Park and the Landing Lights Wetland. I packed my camera and binoculars.
At Barton Park it was pretty quiet birdwise. But there were some nice birds there. The highlight for me was seeing a pair of Red-kneed Dotterels feeding go the mudflats of the Landing Lights Wetland. This was the first time I had seen these birds there. Continue reading
